Creature feature: An experts guide to making memorable monsters
Table Of Content
This fusion is supported by additional and diverse criteria necessary for effective Creature Designs ready for you to breathe life into! Or perhaps something even more out there, a northern pygmy owl with a glow worm? Well, somewhere in a distant universe there might be a creature just like that.
Prehistoric Creature
They studied footage of crocodiles and lizards and even bear fights to get the body mechanics right in the animation while adding enough humanised elements to make it possible for the audience to empathise with the monster. Almost since cinema existed it has been populated by monsters (Carl Boese y Paul Wegener's Der Golem from 1920 is often considered the first film with a monster). Many were designed to frighten, other to amuse, while some have changed their roles over time. And many of the most memorable have spawned franchises that have lasted years if not decades, becoming some of the most popular characters on screen.
Concepts
Designers immerse themselves in the storyline, absorbing the nuances that dictate the world in which the monster will reside. This could involve understanding the geographical settings, the historical period, and the underlying themes to create a monster character that is both believable and fitting. In contemporary settings, the monster character design landscape continues to borrow and adapt from a globally interconnected repository of cultural narratives. This intercultural exchange not only fosters diversity in design but also promotes inclusivity, as designers can represent and celebrate various cultural backgrounds through their work. Historically, monster character design has been deeply rooted in the folklore, myths, and legends of different civilizations.
Draw without purpose
It takes away all the difficulty of getting started, you don’t need to come up with anything yourself and it’s really good practice to generate a description and draw a monster based on it to train your basic design skills. Next, defining the role of the monster in the storyline is essential. Whether the monster serves as a protagonist, an antagonist, or a neutral entity, delineates the blueprint for its creation. It guides the designer in crafting the physical attributes, personality traits, and emotional depth of the monster character, ensuring a harmonious fit within the storyline. Firstly, psychology aids designers in sculpting monster characters that strike a chord with a wide spectrum of audiences.
Think about body language
Some people actually prefer setting up their shadows on a solid grey-ish color, you'll have to experiment to figure out what works best for you. If you’re interested in creature design then this gallery is sure to offer some fantastic ideas for practice pieces or even portfolio works. From fearsome dragons to maybe some crazy undead creatures or maybe even aliens. All of these concepts fall under the umbrella of creature design. With some simple lines defining a direction, you can create a point of interest in your drawing where you can focus the viewer’s attention.
Giger took a biomechanical approach to his design, creating a mock-up using plasticine, parts of an old Rolls-Royce car, rib bones and the vertebrae from a snake, molded with plasticine. The practical effects for the Xenomorph's head in the movie were the work of the Italian special effects designer Carlo Rambaldi. ‘The Swine King’ leverages players’ innate desire to focus their attacks on small foes first and foremost. The boss is joined by a tiny pig who calls out targets for the King to strike. Many players tried to immediately attack or kill the companion, but this enrages the boss and potentially causes a party wipe. “Messing with expectations, and playing with visual tropes is a fun and exciting way to generate new and engaging puzzles for the player,” he adds.
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Step 8: Adding Colour
This will focus the viewer’s eyes to some areas of the drawing. Selecting a source light and applying the correct shades will enable you to highlight key parts of your design. Keep in mind that colour, lighting and shadows are only part of the story. Make the choices that will enhance rather then detract from your narrative. Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories.
First and foremost, understanding anatomy is a cornerstone in monster character design. Be it the intricate skeletal structures or the complex muscle systems, a profound knowledge of anatomy allows designers to craft creatures that bear a semblance of reality, no matter how fantastical the entity might be. Lighting and colour are key tools to use when painting creature concepts. You must play with lights and shadows to create interesting and atmospheric environments.
And the idea is your own, so there is no way you could possibly copy anything! But trust me, the reference will guide you to the right place, and will make sure that you are drawing everything the way it is in real life, and not the way you think it is. In terms of visuals, Bourassa tried to walk the line between creating interesting and unique silhouettes, but also maximizing the available space for enemies.
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A great design shows the world what you stand for, tells a story and makes people remember your brand. Graphic design communicates all of that through color, shape and other design elements. Learn how to make your monster design tell your brand’s story.
Using simple lines will define the movement of the creature. They’ll vary depending on the creature’s mood and activity. Straight lines can make your figure look boring or static, so I often use curved and contrasting lines because they result in more eye-catching body positions. It’s crucial to draw a range of dynamic poses, because they’re a useful way of testing your creature’s proportions and anatomy.
Whatever answers you give to these questions, make sure that your creature's design reflects them. A herbivore is going to have a very different jaw than a carnivore; a creature living in a tropical jungle is not going to look like one living in the cold snowy mountains. These are all opportunities to ground your creature in real life, to make it more believable. Every living thing adjusts to its living conditions, so your creature should do this too.
Platforms like ArtStation and DeviantArt host a vibrant community of monster concept art creators, offering a space to share your work and gain insights from experienced artists. Understanding the origins of monster concept art allows us to witness a tradition of artistic innovation unfurling through centuries, maintaining a continuity of human imagination's endeavor to explore the boundaries of the possible and the extraordinary. The player takes part in cooking competitions in which ingredients need to be picked up by hand and sword. At first, the monsters were closer to standard farm animals, but this restricted their vision and, more importantly, room for exploration. Abandoning those initial ideas gave place to much interesting designs and behaviors.
A sound grasp of anatomy, both of humans and animals, can aid tremendously in crafting believable and intricate monster concept art pieces. Utilize resources like online tutorials, workshops, and art classes to build on your skill set systematically. The roots of monster concept art stretch far back, intertwining deeply with the rich tapestry of human history and culture. It is pivotal to understand the genesis of this art form to fully appreciate the intricacies that shape it today. I want to walk you through my process of designing the winged monster you saw at the beginning of this tutorial.
We can't close a roundup of the best movie monsters without mentioning one of the most enduring of all. Inspired by Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein's monster, often mistakenly called Frankenstein himself, first appeared on screen in a 1910 short silent film directed by J. However, the defining image of the monster would be that created for James Whale's 1931 film for Universal, which spawned a clutch of sequels. He might not be the most fearsome movie monster, but Pixar's Sulley is a memorable screen character. Voiced by John Goodman, the design of James P. Sullivan for Monsters Inc was said to have been based on the look of the prehistoric giant ground sloth, but he also has a very human face, little devil horns, feline fangs and an almost reptilian tail. If you want an amazing monster design that stands out from the competition, work with a professional designer.
Harnessing the power of psychology, therefore, stands central to achieving mastery in the ever-evolving field of monster character design. Another way to improve your creature designs is adding some perspective. Symmetry can be very boring, and a simple pose viewed from the front may fail to resonate with the viewer. So it’s important to work with depth and space, to give your creature a strong feeling of movement.
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